These 6 books remind us that from a tragedy or dark beginning comes unexpected brightness.

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What’s that strange, overbearing gloom during what’s supposed to be a sunny spring? Why, it’s that old adage, April showers bring May flowers—darkness brings light. With May unfurling and the promise of warm weather peeking out from behind the clouds, here are six books that embody that same idea, that from a tragedy or dark beginning comes unexpected brightness.

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NATALIE ZUTTER has always been a voracious reader, from reading Agatha Christie and Entertainment Weekly above her age level as a kid to squeezing 52 books into the year whenever podcasts aren’t taking over her commute. A 2016 Amtrak Residency writer, Natalie also writes plays about superheroes and sex robots, and Tumblr rants about fandom. You can find her giggling over pop culture memes on Twitter @nataliezutter.